Sleep Deprivation Could Sabotage Your New Year’s Goals, Study Finds
Sleepiness does more than make you feel tired — it shapes your behavior. A groundbreaking new study shows that when we’re sleepy, we are far more likely to fall back on ingrained habits, whether they support or undermine our goals. This discovery highlights how even slight fluctuations in alertness can dictate our daily choices. Understanding this connection offers valuable insight into why prioritizing sleep is essential for maintaining self-control and building new, healthier habits, particularly when pursuing New Year’s resolutions.
Sleep and Success Go Hand in Hand
Each year, millions set ambitious New Year’s resolutions, hoping to build better habits or break old ones. Common goals include exercising more, eating healthier, or breaking free from bad habits like excessive screen time or junk food. However, a crucial yet often overlooked factor may significantly influence the likelihood of success: sleep.
A new study underscores that sleepiness can directly undermine efforts to stick to resolutions. Published in the Journal of Sleep Research, this research shows that when we’re sleep-deprived, we’re more likely to fall back on habitual behaviors — whether they align with our goals or not.
In short, sleepiness makes it harder to resist temptations and focus on building new habits. If your resolutions depend on willpower and determination, inadequate sleep could easily derail them. This finding highlights the importance of incorporating better sleep hygiene into your resolution strategy for a higher chance of success.
The Study: Methods and Participants
According to Medical Xpress, the study was conducted by a team of experts in health behavior and psychology from the University of Surrey, the University of South Carolina, and CQUniversity Australia. Key researchers Amanda Rebar and Benjamin Gardner specialize in studying habits and motivation.
For a week, researchers observed over 100 participants who tracked their sleepiness levels and daily behaviors. The scientists then compared each participant’s actions on sleepier days versus more alert days to see if tiredness led to greater reliance on habits.
The study found that participants were more likely to stick to their habits—whether good or bad—when feeling sleepier than usual. However, overall sleepiness levels did not predict how habitual participants were; day-to-day changes in sleepiness were key.
Unlike earlier research that focused on willpower or long-term sleep deprivation, this study examined how daily fluctuations in sleepiness impact habit reliance. It provides new insights into how even slight fatigue can influence behavior in the short term.
Why Sleep Deprivation Could Sabotage Your New Year’s Goals
- Lack of Sleep Weakens Self-Control: Sleep deprivation directly reduces an individual’s ability to resist temptations, increasing the risk of reverting to old, unproductive behaviors. For example, if your goal is to avoid unhealthy snacks, a sleepy day might lead you straight to comfort foods.
- Habits Take Over When Alertness Fades: On days when you feel drowsy, your brain tends to operate on autopilot. This means falling back on ingrained habits, whether they support or undermine your goals. If your resolution is to exercise daily, sleepiness might push you to skip it for the couch instead.
- Lapses Can Undermine Confidence: When sleep-deprived, even small failures can feel overwhelming. Missing a workout or indulging in junk food may cause you to lose faith in your ability to stick to your resolutions, potentially leading to giving up entirely.
- Establishing Good Habits Requires Energy: Creating new routines demands focus and determination—resources that are depleted when you’re tired. A lack of sleep may prevent the consistency needed to turn a desired behavior into a habit.
- Negative Spiral of Poor Sleep and Bad Habits: Sleep deprivation often triggers a cycle where bad habits like late-night snacking or skipping workouts further disrupt your sleep, compounding the problem and making it harder to achieve your goals.
Five Key Discoveries About Sleep and Behavioral Habits
1. Sleepiness Reduces Willpower
Feeling sleepy diminishes one’s ability to resist temptations and exert self-control. For example, a sleepy person might opt to binge-watch TV instead of exercising, even when they intend to maintain a fitness routine.
2. Good Habits Can Prevail—If Established
When sleepiness strikes, individuals are likely to fall back on established habits. If healthy routines like morning workouts are ingrained, they may persist even on drowsy days.
3. Bad Habits Are a Greater Risk
Sleepiness can lead to lapses into undesirable behaviors, such as consuming junk food instead of nutritious meals. These lapses can undermine confidence in achieving long-term goals.
4. Sleep Supports New Habit Formation
Adequate sleep enhances the alertness needed to adopt and reinforce new behaviors. For instance, a well-rested individual is more likely to choose productive activities over procrastination.
5. Habitual Behaviors Are a Double-Edged Sword
Whether habits are beneficial or detrimental, sleepiness increases reliance on them. This dual effect underscores the importance of building positive habits while minimizing negative ones.
The Connection to Cognitive Abilities
Sleepiness significantly affects how our brain operates, impacting critical cognitive functions like decision-making, memory, and attention. When you’re tired, your brain struggles to allocate resources effectively, which means you might make snap decisions or rely on mental shortcuts (simplified decision-making strategies that help the brain save time and effort but can lead to errors or biases) instead of thoughtful deliberation.
For instance, imagine a student preparing for an important exam. A well-rested student might create a structured study plan and follow it diligently. However, a sleep-deprived student is more likely to procrastinate or cram inefficiently, relying on less effective habits such as rereading notes without deeper comprehension.
Similarly, in a work environment, a sleep-deprived employee might default to familiar tasks, avoiding challenging projects that require concentration and creativity. This can hinder productivity and delay progress on key objectives.
Sleep also plays a critical role in enhancing brain function and fostering mental agility. Activities that challenge cognitive abilities—such as solving puzzles, learning a new skill, or engaging in memory games—are supported by adequate rest, which helps the brain process and retain information more effectively. By getting sufficient sleep, individuals can maximize the benefits of such exercises, ensuring sharper focus and better long-term results.
Moreover, tiredness impacts problem-solving abilities. A driver on minimal sleep, for instance, might react slower to unexpected road conditions, relying on habitual driving patterns instead of adapting quickly to the situation. This not only increases risks but highlights how cognitive shifting depends heavily on alertness.
By understanding the role of sleep in maintaining cognitive function and enhancing brain training, individuals can take proactive steps to improve their mental agility and decision-making, reinforcing both personal and professional success.
Implications for Society
Science and Medicine: This research deepens our understanding of the interplay between sleep and behavior, offering valuable insights for healthcare professionals. Encouraging patients to prioritize sleep could improve treatment adherence and lifestyle modifications.
Education: Educators can incorporate sleep hygiene education into curricula, helping students establish healthier habits and improve academic performance.
Everyday Life: For individuals, this study highlights the importance of aligning sleep habits with personal goals. Setting a consistent bedtime could be as crucial as meal planning or exercise routines.
Conclusion: Sleep as the Foundation of Success
This study underscores that achieving New Year’s resolutions involves more than willpower; it requires a strong foundation of adequate sleep. By prioritizing rest, individuals can harness the power of positive habits and mitigate the risk of falling into undesirable ones. Whether your goal is to eat healthier, exercise more, or simply build better routines, ensuring a good night’s sleep might be the most impactful resolution of all.
